A Different Happily Ever After
by Andy'sGirl4485
Summary: My take on where everyone would have ended up if Draco had changed sides that night in the Astronomy tower. Equal parts Snape/Hermione and Draco/Ginny with a bit of Harry/Astoria and Neville/Luna. AU "8th" year. Long version of my one shot 'Detention Lines'. Drama, comedy, romance, lemons and a happy ending!
1. The Beginning and Detention Lines

**Harry Potter and all of it's settings and characters are the property of JK Rowling.**

**Author's Note: Ok, so here it is! The long version of my one shot 'Detention Lines' **

**Since that one shot does appear here in the second half of the first chapter (edited and filled out so that it fits into the big picture) I will give you the notes that were at the beginning of that story first: This came into being because my best friend and co-conspirator Chumbarella came across a story that had a chapter of detention lines and it turned us into a couple of lunatics we were laughing so hard. We decided to try out our own version and this is the result. I am actually thinking of turning this from a one shot into an actual story (yay for me here it is!) at some point but for now it's just a bit of fluff. We tip our hats to the comedic genius that inspired us and give a nod to the authors of the few lines that we pilfered. Those are marked with a *. Everything else came from our twisted brains =)**

**And now I will give you the notes for this story as a whole: This is my version of what might have happened if Draco had decided to change sides that night in the Astronomy tower. In my version we get to keep Dumbledore and Snape (and Fred too! Yay!) So it is definitely completely different than what actually happened, and I think, happier. I hope you like it! =)**

~June 16th 1997~

Draco Malfoy had his wand pointed at a completely unarmed Dumbledore and for the first time since Voldemort had returned, a glimmer of hope started to unfurl in his gut.

"You don't want to do this, Draco."

"I'm bloody well aware of that, old man," Draco paced, agitated, trying to judge the plan he'd just concocted to see if it had merit or if he'd finally gone mad, "but I haven't really been given much of a choice. Suffering a painful death is not on my to do list today."

"I can help you." The pure kindness that emanated from this man was wholly unfamiliar and made Draco a bit twitchy to be honest, but it was that kindness that he was counting on to save him.

Draco knew he wasn't a killer, and contrary to popular belief he did not actually want to follow a demented psychopath for the rest of his life.

His father had been quite enough to deal with growing up and he'd been looking forward to the day he could leave that part of his life behind. There was no way he wanted to trade one sadistic authority figure for another. Besides the fact that if Voldemort won this war there would be no place that he could escape the madness. At least with his father he could pack up and leave when he turned seventeen, make a better life for himself.

There would be no better life if Voldemort ruled, just more pain, violence and death. He was getting rather bloody sick of walking around his own sodding house on eggshells, waiting for someone's wrath to be pointed in his direction.

Footsteps on the stairway jerked him from his thoughts. It was now or never. He would never get another opportunity like this.

"You'd better make good on that offer, old man."

Before Dumbledore could respond, Draco pointed his wand and sent the headmaster through the floor to the level below while simultaneously creating a false copy of the old wizard to stand in his place. Barely a moment later the door burst open to reveal Severus Snape leading a small group of Death Eaters. Bellatrix Lestrange, Fenrir Greyback, and Walden Macnair entered the small tower room with a look of triumph on their faces.

The real Dumbledore looked on through the floorboards in a slight state of shock as his doppelganger turned to greet the new arrivals. Creating a corporeal and animated glamour was an extraordinary bit of magic. He finally remembered what he was about, turned to the rather frozen form of Harry Potter, and set him free.

"What's going on, sir?" The boy who lived whispered as he shook off the effects of the body bind.

"It seems my instincts about young Mr. Malfoy were, in fact, correct. I have no idea what he's going to do next but we'd both better be ready to assist him if his ruse is discovered."

Harry nodded and held his wand pointed at Snape. After retrieving his own wand, which had luckily rolled through a crack in the floor, Dumbledore sent him a look that conveyed a bit of disappointment.

"Choose another target please, Harry. You really must learn to have a bit more faith in people."

Grumbling under his breath, he nonetheless directed his wand towards Greyback instead.

"Much better. Now, let's see what Draco is up to."

The pair stood silently watching as the scene above them unfolded.

"Dumbledore alone and wandless!" Bellatrix Lestrange cackled in glee, "Good work, Draco!"

The fake Dumbledore seemed completely unfazed by his impending death.

"Ah, Bellatrix, I wish I could say it was a pleasure to see you but, alas, I do not wish to be called a liar."

The real Dumbledore smiled a bit at that since he knew it was the creator's view of the real person that dictated a glamour clone's personality. Apparently, Draco thought more of him than he'd known.

"Always the smart mouth, Dumbledore." Bellatrix sneered, "I won't miss that when Draco is done with you. Go on, boy, finish him."

Draco raised his wand to kill the fake Dumbledore and saw a look of pure shock cross Snape's face. He didn't get a chance to ponder that for long as he was soon the one that looked shocked. Snape knocked his wand arm away and the killing curse bounced off the ceiling.

XXX

Severus Snape was not a man who was easy to surprise but he looked at the boy standing in front of him in complete astonishment. He really hadn't thought Draco would be able to kill Dumbledore. It went against everything he had come to know about the youngest Malfoy.

"What the bloody hell do you think you're doing, Severus?" Bellatrix screeched but he ignored the insufferable woman and turned to the man he had considered his father for half of his life.

He would not be killing him today. He had finally found the cure that would save him from the curse of that blasted ring and he would rather suffer the consequences of breaking his unbreakable vow than kill him now. He raised his wand to Albus and the awful noise Bellatrix was spouting came to an abrupt stop.

"Well if you wanted the honor yourself, all you had to do was say so," she huffed indignantly.

Snape stood contemplating who he wanted to take with him to their grave. Bellatrix was a very tempting choice but he considered Greyback the bigger threat to a castle full of children. He would make his death matter. He gave Albus a meaningful look, hoping his mentor would understand.

"When this is over, look in my office."

And with that, he quickly turned his wand on Greyback and had dispatched the wretched man before anyone could stop him. Everyone seemed to freeze for a moment, which gave Snape an extra fraction of a second to react to the fact that he wasn't dead. He quickly dodged the curse Bellatrix aimed at him and for the second time in a matter of minutes stared at his godson in shock. Draco was currently dueling Walden and had the massive Death Eater turning tail and running down the stairs. Bellatrix, realizing she was suddenly outnumbered by the people she had considered on her side, quickly followed.

"Well," the blond boy drawled with a small smirk, "that wasn't exactly what I had in mind but I have to give you credit for taking out Greyback. With my plan they would have all been left alive. I honestly wasn't sure which side you were on until just now or I would have stopped you from blowing your cover."

Before he could demand an explanation a second Dumbledore appeared and seemed to be inspecting his twin.

"Remarkable!" The new Dumbledore said, "However did you manage such a wonderful glamour?"

"I've had loads of practice," Draco replied dryly, "In my house it was either learn to create a believable clone or suffer all of my father's irrational mood swings myself. I opted for the clone."

Dumbledore looked like he was about to respond but Snape had had enough.

"Sorry to interrupt your little chat but would someone mind telling me what the bloody hell is going on?"

"Yes," a voice from the doorway broke in and Snape turned to see Harry Potter entering the room, "I'd really like to know that myself."

"It seems young Mr. Malfoy has decided to change sides, and I believe the fact that he just saved my life, as well as yours, Severus, albeit unintentionally, will be proof enough for any who might doubt it." Dumbledore then turned to Draco, "I'm going to assume your plan involved killing the false version of me to fool the others so that you could later make your escape?"

At Draco's nod he continued, this time turning to Snape, "I will say I was not expecting you to try to break your vow Severus, and I am quite disappointed in your lack of concern for your own life. Apparently, the vow was not brought into account as it was not really me that you refused to kill. Am I correct in my belief that your change of heart had something to do with finding a cure for my unfortunate condition?"

"Yes," Snape replied, "I was actually on my way to your office to inform you of my discovery when the screaming began. I had hoped to reach you before anyone else but Bellatrix, Greyback and Macnair found me first."

A loud crash sounded from below, bringing them all to the realization that there was still a battle going on.

"I'm afraid further explanations are going to have to wait," Dumbledore replied gravely, "Our help would probably be greatly appreciated downstairs. All you really need to know is that we are all on the same side now, so don't hex each other, all right?"

Harry and Draco eyed each other speculatively.

"I'll try to refrain." Draco drawled at the same time that Harry said, "No promises."

XXX

~September 19th 1999~

Hermione Granger sat in the Gryffindor common room, trying to finish her homework assignment.

Fate, however, seemed to be against her.

Thoughts of her birthday party later that evening, among other things, were distracting her from her work. She couldn't believe she would be celebrating her 20th birthday as a student at Hogwarts. The time had just sort of escaped them all.

She had spent what should have been her seventh year looking for the Horcruxes and then the following year had been taken up with rebuilding the castle after the final battle. They had finished the reconstruction in time to open again this year and Dumbledore had given her permission to finish out her education properly.

Surprisingly, she wasn't the only one to take advantage of his offer.

Quite a few of the previous seventh year students had requested a chance to repeat the year and take their tests again. It seemed many of them felt they hadn't really been able to do their best with the threat of war hanging over the country. So it was that they currently had the largest age range of students Hogwarts had ever seen, with Hermione being at the very top. And if you really wanted to get technical about it she was even older than that.

The amount of time she had spent using the time turner in her third year had added about a year to her age. It was a bit of a complicated equation, with much more than just the actual time repeated that had to be factored in, but she was pretty sure she had calculated it correctly.

She had done a lot of thinking about age recently.

She pulled her thoughts back to her ancient runes paper and managed to get through a few more translations before she was thwarted again. The newest distraction was the appearance of Harry and Ron, running through the portrait in a fit of laughter.

"Hermione!" Ron shouted as they spotted her, "You have to see this!"

"Yah," Harry agreed as they stopped at her table, "It's priceless!"

She eyed the parchment in their hands warily. "What is it?"

"It's a record of detention lines," Ron answered, "We found it in Filch's office when we were looking for my Honeydukes stash the old rotter confiscated. Can you believe it? Barely back in school more than two weeks and the blighter starts in with the confiscating."

"You broke into Filch's office for some candy?" She shook her head, "Honestly Ron, what were you thinking?"

"Hey, nothing bad happened. And besides, this was definitely worth it," he answered, "We've only read the first few lines but they're hysterical. Here, listen."

"I will not trick Professor Trelawney into calling the physic hotline; not even if I tape the conversation for Professor McGonagall; not even if Professor McGonagall laughs."*

_Ok so that is a bit funny, _she admitted to herself. Ron passed the parchment to Harry and he read one as well.

"I am not permitted to ask Professor Flitwick where Snow White is."*

She giggled and the boys continued to pass the lines back and forth each reading one.

"Under no circumstance am I to greet Professor McGonagall by inquiring, 'What's up pussycat? Whoa whoa whooa.' Neither is 'What ho, lawn ornament!' a suitable greeting for Professor Flitwick."*

"'Not enough room to swing a cat in here' is a muggle saying, not a testable hypothesis."*

They were all laughing now. "Oh look," Harry said and pointed at the page, "Some of them are signed."

"If it breathes fire, spits acid, drinks blood, has more than one head, is native to the forbidden forest, or larger than Professor Flitwick; it is not an acceptable familiar. ~Rubeus Hagrid"

Giggles abounded. "That sounds like Hagrid."

"I will not attempt to fly my broomstick up the staircase to the girl's dormitory. ~ James Potter"

"And that sounds like my father." Harry laughed.

"Amortentia is not an acceptable way of securing a date for the Yule Ball. ~ Alexander Vane"

"Blimey," Ron chortled, "D'you suppose that's Romilda's father?"

"Urinating in the house cup is unacceptable. Even if Slytherin wins. ~ Sirius Black"

"Sniffing girls is not an appropriate way to show my interest. ~ Remus Lupin"

"Oh now that's classic," Harry said when he caught his breath, "I can just imagine him trying to explain _that."_

"Hey look," Ron said after taking the parchment, "they get more recent towards the bottom."

"Convincing first years that there is candy hidden under the Whomping Willow is not an acceptable way to spend an afternoon. ~ Draco Malfoy"

"Ha! I'm going to have to ask him about that later."

"I will not ask Professor Moody if I can borrow his eye to spy into the girl's locker room. ~ Dean Thomas"

"Hiding new quidditch players' broomsticks in the forbidden forest is not an acceptable form of team initiation. ~ Oliver Wood"

"Professor Dumbledore is not related to Santa Claus. Sitting on his lap and asking for presents will not be tolerated. ~ Luna Lovegood"

"Dropping a small house on Professor Umbridge and singing "Ding Dong the Witch is Dead" is highly inappropriate. ~ Seamus Finnigan"

"Oh that was hysterical! I remember when he did that." Hermione said between giggles and took the parchment to have a turn herself. "Look, there's a whole section just for Fred and George!"

"Filling Professor Quirrell's office with garlic is not considered an acceptable way to protect him from vampires."

"Throwing a bucket of water on Professor Snape will not cause him to melt."

"Sending rings to the nine senior faculty members for Christmas with the salutation, 'Love, Voldemort' is not funny."*

The three friends actually thought that was quite hilarious and now had tears streaming down their faces as they continued to pass the parchment around.

"Spiking the faculty punch at the Yuletide Ball with love potion is not an appropriate way of spreading Christmas cheer."

"Professor Lupin did not huff and puff and blow my house down."

"Turning Mrs Norris pink is not acceptable, even if it was meant as a Valentine to Mr. Filch."

"If caught after hours in the halls; waiving my wand and saying, 'These are not the students you are looking for' will not save me from detention."*

"My name is not Inigo Montoya. Professor Snape did not kill my father, nor must he prepare to die."*

"They went through a muggle roovy phase when Dad brought home that weird little box," Ron said with a snort, "I think he called it a Beecyare." This caused Hermione and Harry's laughter to increase exponentially.

"It's movies and a VCR." Hermione said when she could breathe again. "Here, give it over."

"We will not replace the headmaster's lemon drops with anything we have created ourselves."

"Sending toilet seats to patients in the infirmary is unhygienic."

"Convincing Peeves to follow Professor Snape around the castle and throw tiny bottles of shampoo at him is very ill advised."

Ron took the parchment and then suddenly looked like he was having some sort fit and started rolling around on the floor, unable to speak through his mirth.

"What is it?" Harry asked wiping the tears from his eyes, "What could possibly be funnier than Peeves throwing shampoo at Snape?"

Hermione stopped laughing when Ron pointed at her, as she had a sinking feeling she knew exactly what it said. She made a mad dash to take the page from Ron before Harry could get it but Ron was not cooperating. He held the parchment out of her reach and Harry pulled it from the red head's outstretched hand. He read the last line which didn't have anything to do with Fred and George's legacy.

"Drawing hearts around Professor Lockhart's name does not count as added inches to my potions essay. ~ Hermione Granger"

Harry tried to keep it in, honestly he did, but one look at Hermione's supremely perturbed expression had the laughter exploding from him, sending him down to the floor to join Ron.

"It's not _that_ funny!" Hermione fumed, "Besides, my parchment was sufficiently long without that part. Professor Snape was just being ornery. And I was twelve! I seem to remember you two doing a lot of ridiculous things when Fluer first showed up so you can both just bugger off!"

The boys finally managed to reign in their merriment and sat up. "We're sorry Hermione," Harry said with a small chuckle, "But honestly, why on earth would you turn in anything with little hearts on it to Snape?"

"I didn't mean to!" she hissed defensively, "That was my practice homework. I never meant to turn it in-"

"You practice your homework?" Ron cut in incredulously.

"Of course! You can't just turn in the first thing you scribble down."

Both boys shared a look that said, "Why not?"

"I always recopy my homework to make sure it's formatted properly and to get rid of any errors," she continued, missing their exchange, "but that night you two dragged me away on some hair brained scheme and I forgot to get back to it. The next day I turned in the practice scroll, thinking I had already redone it. Needless to say, Professor Snape was not amused."

This caused another fit of giggles and Hermione had to admit it was a little funny.

She sighed as the boys disappeared up the stairs to show Dean and Neville the scroll.

_I wonder what Professor Snape would think if he knew that his name is now the one that would appear in hearts if I still indulged in such things._

The knowledge of how absurd her feelings were did little to discourage them. She lost count of the number of times she had tried to will away the ridiculous thoughts that had started plaguing her earlier this summer.

She had always admired his intellect. Even when it hadn't been completely clear which side he was on there was no denying his brilliance, but her feelings had always been of a professional, respectful nature. Until recently. She had walked into a classroom he'd been repairing and seen him in a way that hadn't ever occurred to her before.

The castle had been stifling before they managed to fix all the holes in the outer walls because every attempt at a cooling charm just flew out the window, literally. Most of the men had taken to working with their shirts off and the whole place began reminding her of a muggle construction sight. Professor Snape, however, did not indulge in this practice. In fact, he always seemed to be elsewhere from where the main work was being done on the worst of the days. So while she had gotten accustomed to seeing various wizards in a state of half dress she was completely unprepared for the sight that greeted her the day Dumbledore had sent her to search for him.

It seemed that he was not impervious to the weather after all, he just opted to work in solitude when the heat was too much to bear. She'd had just enough presence of mind to shield herself from view so he wouldn't catch her staring at him before her brain had been short circuited by his sudden appearance in her thoughts as a man and not just her professor.

His hair was pulled back, revealing startlingly handsome features that had been previously hidden from view. And, as if the shock of suddenly finding his facial structure fascinating wasn't enough, that hadn't been all. It seemed Severus Snape was not a man who relied on magical strength alone.

Hermione had stood completely captivated by the sight of his bare chest gleaming with a fine coating of sweat as he manually lifted heavy bits of broken furniture out of the way. He was magnificently sculpted, the kind of man artists paid to study. Even the scars that crossed his back didn't detract from his appeal. To her they were simply another testament of his strength, and the magnitude of what he had survived. What he had done for them all.

She was instantly struck by an overwhelming desire to be wrapped in his arms, pressed firmly to the solid wall of his chest as he snogged her senseless. She'd thankfully been jerked out of her trance by that completely inappropriate thought and had managed to slip silently from the room.

Ever since then she hadn't been able to look at him without that desire returning to beat at her defenses. The rest of the summer had been a special kind of hell.

Never before had she been unable to use logic to solve a problem and she really didn't appreciate the new experience. Hermione knew he would never see her as anything more than a bushy haired insufferable know it all, as he had been so fond of calling her, but her heart kept insisting on skipping beats whenever he came near. She desperately wished she could go back to the days when she hadn't seen him as anything more than her professor.

The last three weeks had been the worst.

She remembered being so nervous as she walked to his classroom the first day of school that she'd actually run straight into Dumbledore in the hallway. Thankfully, they'd both been able to keep their feet but her things had gone everywhere. He'd helped her pick everything up and asked after her health which she thought was very nice of him considering the accident had been entirely her fault.

Then when she'd finally gotten to class it had been worse than she expected.

It was as though her feelings were affecting her view of reality. He had seemed... nicer... if that was the word for it. He hadn't insulted her once since school had started, and sometimes her imagination actually made her believe he was looking at her in an appreciative manner. It was driving her slightly spare.

She sighed at the impossibility of her feelings and, for the umpteenth time that afternoon tried to get back to her assignment.

Though she did pause to doodle one tiny heart with a small S in the margin.

XXX


	2. Hermione's Party

That maddening bloody redhead was driving him insane.

Draco's eyes were glued to the only female Weasley as she tossed her head back in unabashed laughter at something Potter said and not for the first time, he cursed himself for this weakness. It wasn't supposed to be this way. Girls were supposed to sit around staring at _him_ with pathetic longing. Draco Malfoy was not accustomed to wanting for... well... _anything_. And he didn't like it at all.

_How on earth did I let this happen?_

Honestly, to begin with he had thought he hated her. Well and truly despised her, and not because of anything to do with blood status, that had always been his father's issue. It had taken him far too long to realize that the reason she set him so on edge was because he wanted her but knew he couldn't have her. She was well and truly off limits, much too full of light and purity to be tainted by his darkness. His type of girl was cold, calculating, and not likely to be hurt when he left in the morning.

Ginny Weasley was no one's idea of a one night stand.

She was the kind of girl you kept, and Draco knew he was not worthy of keeping her.

Not to mention the fact that back then, when all of these thoughts had started assaulting him, she had been with Potter. While normally Draco didn't feel any qualms about seducing another bloke's girlfriend, he and Potter had formed a sort of grudging respect during the war; and while he had contributed a bit to their victory he hadn't thought it was wise to piss off one of the only reasons people didn't either run from him in fear or try to spit on him in the streets. It was simple logic really.

Yes, he'd realized the value of not having Voldemort as the supreme ruler of the world and changed sides, but that didn't make him a good guy; and most people knew it.

Granger, Potter, Dumbledore and the entire flock of Weasley's didn't agree with most people. They seemed hell bent on insisting that he was a damned hero, and no one really had the stones to contradict them.

So he'd saved Dumbledore's life, but that hadn't exactly been a hard decision had it? And saving Severus had been purely by accident. Both times actually.

He'd gone with Potter, Weasley, and Granger to help find the Horcruxes because he figured the sooner that got done, the sooner it would all be over. Besides, he couldn't exactly go home after what he'd done now could he? It was either go along and help or stay out of sight, hidden and bored out of his mind.

Saving Granger had coincided nicely with a bit of revenge he owed his demented Aunt Bella so that didn't really count and just because killing her had also been what saved his godfather the second time didn't make it any more noble. Apparently when the members involved in creating an unbreakable vow are dead it no longer applies.

Yes, he'd pulled Potter out of the way of a killing curse during the final battle but that was necessary, not brave. Scarhead was the only one who could defeat Voldemort so they kind of needed him alive.

And Ginny...

Well that had been selfish too.

He simply didn't want to live in a world without her, even if he couldn't have her, so saving her from those damned snatchers had been necessary as well.

He shook himself from that memory before it could overtake him.

He still had nightmares about what they had done to her before he got there. The only thing that comforted him when he woke was the knowledge that after he had gotten her back to safety he had returned and killed every last one of them. So, no, he was not a good person, and Ginny Weasley was not for him.

No matter how much she was tempting him to wrap his fists in her hair and discover if she tasted as good as she looked.

_Damn it get a bloody grip on yourself. _The only thing his father had taught him that he was grateful for was the ability to completely mask his emotions. _At least no one else will ever know how pathetic I've become._

She consumed his thoughts, both conscious and not. The dream he had the night she and Potter had broken it off still haunted him. She'd tied herself to his bed, the symbolism of trust not lost on him, and had been very _very _happy to be at his mercy. It was the most vivid dream he had ever had, as if he could feel her thoughts and emotions as well as his own. He hadn't been able to be with another girl since. Every time he'd tried, the way her face had looked as he took her would flash in his mind and make it impossible.

It was extremely inconvenient.

As was the way he found it impossible to say no to her. Hence the reason he was currently in the great hall, surrounded by bloody Gryffindors, to celebrate Granger's birthday.

His thoughts were interrupted by said birthday girl as she finally spotted him in the doorway and made a beeline for him. She was wearing a ridiculous sparkly hat that was decidedly not her style and a smile that even after two years, he was not used to having directed at him.

"Nice hat."

She blushed a bit sheepishly. "Ginny insisted. Have you noticed it's extremely hard to say no to her?"

Apparently it wasn't just him.

"Yes, actually, I have picked up on that." He handed her an elegantly wrapped package. "Happy Birthday." The look on her face was a warning. "Now don't get all teary eyed on me because it isn't that big of a deal."

She gave him a look that said she didn't believe him and tore into the wrapping paper. He knew he was in trouble when she stared in silent wonder for a moment before looking up at him with a smile so bright it hurt a bit to look at.

"Oh, Draco! Only you would label an early, signed for heaven's sake, copy of Romeo and Juliet 'not that big of a deal'."

His instincts predicting his impending hugging were proven correct as she flung her arms around him in one of those spontaneous bursts of friendly affection that made him uncomfortable at the same time that they warmed him a little inside, though he would never admit it.

"Thank you thank you thank you!"

"All right, that's enough Granger. I've had my fill of nauseating emotional displays for the day." She pulled away and continued smiling as if he hadn't spoken. "Our families crossed lines at some point in history. I have a ton of his old stuff in the library and I came across this the other day and thought you might like it is all. It isn't one of my favorites and since it was just sitting there collecting dust I stand firm on my appraisal of it not being a big deal. Besides, my parents would roll over in their graves if they knew who I was giving it to, which pleases me to no end, so it isn't entirely altruistic."

"Ok fine, you're horribly selfish and don't deserve any thanks." She laughed, "I'm going to go show Harry and Ginny!"

A hint of a smile broke through his mask as he watched her bound away, book clutched to her chest protectively.

XXX

Ginny was watching Draco intently as he gave Hermione her birthday present and she knew she was right. He cared.

Much more than anyone knew, and she thought probably much more than even he knew. He hid it very well; behind sarcasm, indifference, and that infuriating mask of his but she could see it. He valued their friendship. He always had a selfish explanation for everything he did but they were getting thinner and thinner as time passed. It was getting to the point where she couldn't tell if he was lying to them or himself. He shifted his gaze to hers and she immediately looked away. The last thing she needed was for him to catch her staring at him.

So yes, he cared, but in her case it wasn't the kind of caring she wanted. She had done everything she could think of to get him to look at her as a woman and not as someone to be looked after. Every once in a while she thought she saw something in his eyes that gave her hope, but after nearly a year of getting nowhere she was beginning to think she was fooling herself.

She saw the girls he normally dated, if you could even call it that, and she was nothing like them. The three B's as she and Hermione called them. Blonde, busty and brainless. Then again, she hadn't seen one of them in quite a while. Not since she and Harry had realized last year that they just weren't meant for each other. She was glad he'd seen it too, because she didn't know what she would do without his friendship. He'd become part of their family and losing him entirely would have killed her.

"Earth to Ginny."

She tore her gaze from Draco and turned back to where Harry was standing.

"Sorry," she forced her thoughts to return to the present, "I was just thinking."

"I noticed," Harry smirked a bit, reminding her of Draco's signature look, "I've been talking to you for over a minute. If you're not careful you'll give me a complex," he teased, "Is he really that much more interesting than me?"

"Oh come on, you know that's not fair." Ginny elbowed him playfully, "I felt awful when I realized what it would do to you to know how I felt about him. You don't need to rub it in now that you're ok with it."

His smile lost it's teasing edge and gentled. "I know, and honestly after I recovered from the shock I knew it would be a good thing, for both of you. That is, it will be when he figures it out."

Her smile faltered.

"I really don't think that's ever going to happen."

"Harry! Ginny! You have to see what Draco gave me!" Hermione popped up in front of them, holding reverently what looked to be a very old book and Ginny forced her smile to return. "It's a bloody signed copy of Romeo and Juliet! I can't even believe I'm in the same room as such a magnificent book, let alone that it belongs to me!" Hermione did a little dance and Ginny's amusement at her friend's happiness turned her fake expression into the real thing. She didn't even get a chance to respond as Hermione darted away as fast as she'd appeared. "I've got to show Ron and Neville and Luna!"

She caught the look that passed through Harry's eyes at the mention of joining the group across the room, who just so happened to be positioned right next to a certain Slytherin, and smiled inwardly as he started to follow. "Hey Hermione, wait up! I'll go with you." She gave him a smirk of her own before he disappeared into the crowd.

Her eyes searched the room for a head of white blond hair and when she didn't see him she had to stifle her disappointment. He'd probably left after giving Hermione her present. Gods she felt pathetic. She wasn't even really sure how this had happened to her.

She had loathed him when he'd shown up on her doorstep with Harry that summer two years ago. Just because he'd switched sides and saved Dumbledore's life didn't make him any less of a git to her and she'd been livid that her mother had invited him to stay with them. He antagonized her at every opportunity and had driven her positively crazy. And the worst of it was how her mother fussed over him, treating him like a damned prince and berating her anytime she caught them fighting.

"_Ginevra Weasley you be nice to that boy! He's been through enough without you adding to his troubles."_

Oh how she had hated that smirk then.

When he'd gone with Harry, Ron and Hermione to look for the Horcruxes she'd been surprised but mostly relieved that he wouldn't be around to torment her anymore.

The next time she'd seen him she knew she had never been happier to see anyone in her life.

She, Neville and Luna had been taking information from Hogwarts to the ministry when the snatchers had surprised them. They had been making the trip for months since it had become risky to use owls or the floo network to pass information, and had gotten a bit complacent. They'd managed to stun two of them and probably would have come out on top of the fight, but then Luna had been hit and Ginny knew the only way Neville would be able to get Luna away in time to save her was if she sacrificed herself. It was her they were really after anyway. She knew they wouldn't bother chasing the others if she gave up. Neville raged at her as she transported them away instead of protecting herself but he'd saved Luna, that was what mattered. She'd known she had to take the choice from him so he wouldn't hate himself later, but really, the girl you loved always came first in situations like that.

"Well, well boys," the tallest of the four, who seemed to be the leader, circled her after he had taken her wand and revived his friends, "Look what we've got here. Harry Potter's little girlfriend." His smile turned her stomach. "I bet he comes out of hiding real quick when he learns what's become of you, Red."

Ginny had known differently.

Harry had been forced by... well everyone, to make an unbreakable vow not to attempt a rescue of any of them if it would jeopardize the mission. No one's life was worth more than his and Dumbledore threatened to lock him up until the final battle if he didn't agree to it. So Harry was safe at least, and she'd only prayed they would kill her before anyone else got hurt trying to save her.

She had been extremely naïve.

She remembered the relief she felt when they'd finally figured out Harry wouldn't be coming had quickly turned to overwhelming terror. Death, it seemed, was not all they had planned for her now that she was no longer useful as bait.

The malevolent smile that crossed the leader's face still haunted her nightmares.

She'd fought them but they were too strong for her. Her frame couldn't withstand the force their fists had rained down on her and she soon found herself pinned to the ground as they began tearing at her clothes.

That was when Draco had shown up.

The rage that flashed in his eyes that day had been beautiful to her.

The force of his magic was awe inspiring as he knocked away her attackers so she was surprised by his gentleness as he held her and apparated them to Hogsmeade. He carried her all the way to the castle and he didn't let go even after they'd gotten inside. She remembered how she had clung to him, her feeling of safety completely attached to the strength of his arms around her, and he hadn't let anyone take her from him as he carried her to the hospital wing.

That was the beginning of her downfall. What happened next only sped the process.

She knew what he'd done after she had fallen asleep.

And she was glad for it.

Those men would never be able to do to another girl what they had tried to do to her. No one else would suffer at their hands. He had saved countless lives that day by taking those four. Some people didn't understand that but she did.

After that she hadn't been able to get him out of her head. He was gone again, not returning after he left her in the hospital wing, but his absence didn't make anything easier. She kept replaying every confrontation they'd had that summer, looking for a glimpse of the emotions she'd sworn she'd seen before his mask had reappeared as he knelt to pick her up that day. She really tried to go on as though everything were the same but she couldn't.

A lot of things changed after the final battle.

Harry had thankfully been the one to bring up their relationship and they were both relieved to find they felt the same way about ending it.

Draco amazed everyone with his actions in the aftermath. The biggest shock had come right at the beginning. He donated all of his parents' money to the rebuilding efforts.

"_I don't want to live off my father's ill earned gains," _he'd said nonchalantly as they'd all gaped at him, _"and I don't need it. My grandmother left me her fortune which was considerably larger than my father's ever was. Besides, I want this to get done sometime this century and money will considerably speed up the process."_

The next year was spent rebuilding the castle and her suspicions as she watched Draco grew along with her feelings for him. He hadn't changed, exactly, it was more that her perception of him had shifted. His acerbic comments were how he kept people at arm's length. She could only imagine the kind of childhood he must have had. The constant lack of affection causing him to convince himself he didn't need it, that it was better to push people away first before they could do it to him.

He obviously hadn't counted on Hermione.

She had decided that she wasn't going to be pushed. She was going to be his friend whether he liked it or not, and no matter what he did or said to her she refused to leave him alone. A more unlikely friendship Ginny really couldn't imagine, but it worked for them. He'd warmed up as much as he ever did to the rest of them eventually and even occasionally sought out their company without being coerced.

But with Ginny he was always cooly polite now. He didn't even antagonize her anymore. It was as if he had no emotion at all around her. She'd tried everything to break through his icy exterior but with no luck. The closest she'd come to getting a reaction from him was last week when she'd actually stooped to walking out of the prefect's bathroom in nothing but a towel when she'd known he was waiting outside. His eyes had flared for just a moment before he'd turned abruptly and walked away.

She was losing hope.

"I can't believe I let you talk me into coming to this ridiculous affair." Draco's voice broke into her thoughts and she spun to find him standing behind her.

She calmed her suddenly jumping pulse quickly. It had gotten easier to hide her reactions to him with practice.

"Oh, you know you wouldn't have missed Hermione's birthday. It just makes it easier for you to blame it on me so I oblige you."

His nod of acquiescence surprised her. "Perhaps."

They stood silently watching the crowd for a moment and she supposed with another person it might have been awkward but it felt comfortable with him. She didn't know if it was a residual effect from how he had saved her, and if it was she honestly didn't care, but she always felt comfortable in his presence.

"That's a ridiculous hat you know." He gestured toward where Hermione stood.

"It is not!" Ginny took heart at the fact that he had both started and continued the conversation. "It's festive, and she deserves to be silly every now and then. It's good for her."

Again he nodded. "Perhaps."

She ignored how she knew he hated to be studied and looked up into his eyes. She knew she was probably searching in vain, but this was the most he'd given her to work with in a long time and she needed to see if she could see something, _anything,_ through the wall he'd put up.

The tension between them built as they stood locked in each other's gaze. His eyes swirled with a myriad of silver shades... and then began to darken. _There it is._

He blinked and backed away, and just that fast it was gone. But it didn't matter. She'd seen what she needed to see. He could hide behind his mask all he wanted now.

He wanted her.

XXX

Severus Snape stood watching the revelry going on around him and wondered how he had been roped into attending this ridiculous affair.

He spied Albus doing a horrible muggle dance he'd been told was called "The Macarena" along with a group of what he assumed were the muggle born students.

_Oh yes, _he thought archly, _our esteemed headmaster demanded it._

He was pretty sure his head would split in two if he was forced to listen to anymore of the rubbish they called music. Since he'd already accomplished hiding the box, he decided he'd been here long enough to fulfill his promise. He was about to make his way to the door when his gaze was drawn to the cause of all this madness.

Ridiculous sparkling hat and all, she was beautiful.

And he was a fool to allow such thoughts to plague him. She'd walked into his classroom three weeks ago and he'd been abruptly, unexpectedly, and very unsettlingly struck by the desire to mess up her very carefully pulled back hair in a decidedly unethical way.

It was completely unacceptable for him to have such thoughts about her.

He was her teacher for Merlin's sake, not to mention the fact that he was twice her age. But no matter what he did he couldn't reign in his wayward thoughts. It was ironic really. He, who was widely considered to have the greatest thought control of any wizard alive, could not dispel one slip of a girl from his mind.

As the days had passed he'd realized he was in even more trouble than he'd thought. Being physically attracted to Hermione Granger, unsettling as it was, did not begin to compare to the loop his mind had been thrown for when he discovered he was emotionally attracted to her as well.

He began noticing things he hadn't before. Like how perfectly suited she was to his needs. She would undoubtedly never bore him, or prattle on about mindless things as most females were wont to do. Her brilliance outstripped any witch he could recollect and she would never back down or be afraid to tell him what was on her mind. She was the only woman he could see himself being pleased to have in his chambers at the end of the day. These were the kinds of thoughts that had started beating at his mind. Complete and utter foolishness.

Just because he had suddenly realized she was his ideal idea of a partner did not mean she would ever reciprocate. Severus Snape was no one's idea of ideal.

Besides, she would undoubtedly be better off with someone her own age. Someone who hadn't been so damaged by the wars. The life he'd led did not lend itself to the softer emotions she deserved.

The worst part of this confounded condition he had found himself in was that Albus seemed to know of it. The meddling old man had actually winked at him when he demanded his presence tonight.

"_You need to loosen up a bit, Severus," _he'd said, _"not everything has to be a disaster just because you weren't expecting it."_

He really needed to figure out how the man always seemed to know every bloody thing.

At some point during his reverie the music had changed to a slow and not altogether awful song. Albus had apparently had enough dancing for the moment as he had sidled up next to him.

"You should ask her to dance." The headmaster said with a decidedly annoying twinkle in his eye.

"Are you finally going senile, Albus?" Snape arched an eyebrow. "Should I start brewing a potion for your obvious mental affliction?"

"Think what you like, Severus, but I promise you that your offer would not be turned away as she has turned away all the others tonight."

He had noticed that as the night wore on. She had very politely refused to dance with any of the rather large group of impertinent scamps that had asked her.

"While I concede the fact that you are normally eerily omniscient, Albus, even you can be wrong. There is absolutely no way you are going to convince me that Hermione Granger, Gryffindor's beloved know it all princess, has ever or will ever look at me as anything but her professor. Not, of course, that I am admitting to any desire for her to do so."

"Whatever you say, Severus."

That wink was really starting to bother him.

XXX

"So," Hermione smirked at Harry as they watched the guests filing from the great hall at the end of the party, "you and Astoria Greengrass huh? How long have you been hiding that from us?"

His cheeks reddened and he smiled a bit sheepishly, "How do you know it didn't just start tonight?"

"Well," Hermione replied, "although I know that was the image you were both trying to portray and you no doubt fooled everyone else except probably Ginny, to me it was quite obvious. You were much too familiar with her for that to have been your first encounter. Everyone else might buy the cavalier rouge persona the newspapers paint of you but I know how shy you are underneath. You would never kiss a girl you just connected with for the first time in front of a room full of people, especially not with that level of enthusiasm." He reddened further at her teasing. "So, I can only conclude that you have kissed her before, which would indicate a previous relationship, and since we certainly didn't know about it that unerringly points to the conclusion that you were hiding it. The only thing I couldn't figure out was for how long."

He sighed a bit through his smile. "I guess it was dumb to think I could fool you. Three months. Almost immediately after she came to help with the castle this summer. I can't even really explain how it happened but it's wonderful. One minute we were arguing; something about Malfoy actually, she made a remark about how thankful she was that he'd called off their arranged marriage and I got a bit bristly in his defense and then she called me an idiot for not seeing that it had been the arrangement she'd had a problem with and not Malfoy in particular, and then... we were kissing. We both thought it might be a good idea to try out the relationship thing before letting anyone else in on the news. It was so unexpected I think we both were sort of waiting for it all to fall apart. But it hasn't, and we decided tonight was the perfect opportunity to go public." The smile on his face showed Hermione how truly happy he was. "I'm so glad I can finally bring her around to meet you guys. She's really worried about how you're going to react so be nice to her okay?"

"Of course. I'm happy if you're happy Harry, and I'm sure if you like her that much there must be something good about her."

"Thanks, Mione." He hugged her before trotting over to help Neville levitate the house tables back into place. Within twenty minutes they almost had the place completely cleaned up and she was grateful that Harry, Ron, Neville, Luna, and Ginny had stayed to help her. It would have taken much longer by herself. All that was left to do now was to shrink her presents so they would be easier to carry up to her room so she waved everyone else on ahead of her, saying she would be along shortly.

"Goodnight guys. Thank you for everything!"

She walked over to the pile of presents and as she started to wave her wand a small box caught her eye that hadn't been there earlier. Curious, she reached for the box and inspected it. It wasn't signed. Her first instinct was to be suspicious but she didn't feel any dark or malicious intent from it. It was oddly compelling, reminding her abruptly of Snape, and somehow she just knew it wasn't dangerous. However, she also knew it would be a better idea to open it in the common room so that if she turned out to be wrong, at least her friends would be there to help her. Since the box was already small she tucked it into her pocket as she shrunk the rest of the presents and hurriedly made her way up to the Gryffindor tower.

XXX

"Ok, open it already!" Ginny prompted, "We've done every dark detecting spell we know. It's obviously from a secret admirer and the suspense is killing me."

"Or it could just be from someone who forgot to put their name on it." Hermione reasoned.

Ginny frowned at her from her spot on the floor, leaning against Harry's legs. He was sitting on the couch smiling at what he knew was coming. "Oh Hermione, why do you always have to be so logical?" Ginny responded, "Isn't it more fun my way?"

Hermione was pretty sure she had enough to deal with without adding a secret admirer to her list but she made a small noise of agreement as she reached out and opened the mysterious present.

Nothing exploded, no Weasley tricks jumped out at her, it was just a box.

A box that contained the most beautiful ring she had ever seen.

Her breath caught as she looked down at the creation in her hands. White gold was shaped into a delicate swirling form that resembled an off kilter butterfly and was set with dozens of tiny sparkling diamonds and emeralds. She was sure magic had to be involved in its creation and she was proven right as she slipped it on her finger and the wings fluttered prettily for a moment before settling back onto her finger.

"Oh Hermione. It's gorgeous!" Ginny's eyes met hers across the coffee table and she smiled smugly. "Still think it was a case of forgetfulness?"

XXX


	3. The Morning After

**Author's Note: Ok, so there was a line in my original draft of this chapter that I took out before I posted because, even though I loved it and the analogy it presented, it just didn't flow quite as well as I would like in the whole idea of Ginny's monologue. But now I have put it back because hollywood sucked it out of my mind! I just read an article that they are remaking Snow White in a way that makes me very very happy =) You'll understand my feelings when you read them coming out of Ginny's mouth =) Oh and you'll have to just pretend that they both would know the story of Snow White, which Ginny might seeing as how her father is obsessed with muggles, but Draco definitely wouldn't.**

**XXX**

Draco sat in the back row of the Transfiguration classroom the next morning, fighting to keep his composure.

Ginny had waltzed into class just as the bell rang and taken the seat next to him. She hadn't said a word but he knew she was up to something. The devious light in her eyes that most people missed because of her angelic appearance was in full attendance.

He hadn't had to wait long to discover what is was.

She leaned just a little closer to him than strictly necessary as they shared his book, her perfume ensaring his senses. She tossed her hair to the side as she leaned down to reach for her dropped quill and the silky lengths caressed his forearm, making him want to feel those fiery strands trailing over other parts of him while at the same time drawing his attention to the close proximity of her mouth. As she leaned back up the side of her breast brushed against his arm and he could feel the heat of her breath against his neck.

Indifference was becoming impossible to fake.

He'd known it was a mistake to stay at that party. He should have left as soon as he gave Granger her present but he hadn't been able to resist approaching the redheaded temptress next to him, just needing to be close to her for a while. He knew he'd let his desire for her slip into his eyes and that was what was causing this new assault on his control.

What she was playing at was dangerous and she seemed completely unaware. He could only assume she thought it would be fun to push him, to see if she could make him break down and indulge in his desire for her. What she didn't know was how addicted he already was to her. If he let himself touch her she would be doomed. He would never quietly let her go with the man she would eventually find to love. The man she was supposed to be with. The man that was definitely not him.

He ground his teeth and prayed for strength.

As soon as the bell rang he shot to his feet and strode quickly through the door, not even bothering to take his book.

XXX

Hermione clutched the first years' Potions papers nervously as she knocked on the door to Snape's office. She'd applied as his aide for this year in a bout of hopeful stupidity, and had been quite surprised when he'd chosen her.

"Enter."

She walked through the door and her imagination created a small flare of desire in his midnight eyes for her. _Damn it, get a grip._ Those devastating orbs dropped to her hand and her mind went further out on its limb as she thought she saw satisfaction in them as they settled on her ring. She shook herself mentally.

"I've brought the papers you gave me to grade."

"Good. You can put them there on the desk." He reached out to indicate the area he wanted them and winced slightly at the motion.

"Are you all right?"

"Fine. Just getting old, I suppose. Lupin caught me in the shoulder with a spell while we were dueling." He failed to mention that it was thoughts of her that had been distracting him. Besides, he figured it was a good idea to bring attention to their glaring age difference. Maybe it would help him reclaim his sanity.

Hermione plucked up her courage and spoke before she could think of all the reasons she shouldn't broach this subject. "You aren't that old."

"I'm twice your age."

"Only technically."

His eyebrow raised inquisitively. "Miss Granger, age is not a relative subject. It is a very defined measurement of the length of time one has been alive."

"Yes, but only if you look at it from a muggle point of view. I've been thinking about this a lot lately-" The blush that crept over her face had him narrowing in on her features. A small impossible thought formed in his mind at the way she glanced almost nervously in his direction during her slight pause. "-and I think I've figured it out. Witches and wizards age quite differently than muggles so it really doesn't make any sense that we should all still go by their standard of measurement."

The light that signified she was about to begin a lecture hit her eyes. Still floored by his recent suspicion, he settled in for the show, quite intrigued to discover where her logic would take them.

"An ordinary witch or wizard has a much longer life span than even the most inveterate muggle. Dumbledore is 118, and while I grant you he is not an ordinary wizard, his age is not at all uncommon in our world. According to my research, most wizards live more than twice as long as muggle men, and witches live a little less than twice as long as their muggle counterparts. It's actually 2.1 for men, and 1.8 for women. Using the most recently documented muggle life expectancy for men of 74.8 and women 80.1, that would make the average life expectancy for wizards 157.1 and witches 144.2. I found it a rather fascinating switch really, as muggle women live longer than muggle men but wizards live longer than witches."

He broke in at that point. "By those calculations I am roughly 18 and you are 11. While I grant you that would make me less than twice your age, it is also preposterous."

It was her turn to raise an eyebrow, but in a decidedly different manner. "I wasn't finished."

He made a sweeping gesture with his arm, "Then please, by all means continue." He was thoroughly enjoying the sight she presented as she paced in front of his desk, passion for the subject fairly pouring from her as she expressed her theory.

"Thank you. Now, you can't just use the straight calculation as it is grossly inaccurate in the beginning of life and, as you so aptly put it, preposterous. As far as I can tell from my research, the aging process doesn't begin to shift until after we have reached our full potential for growth, sometime between the ages of 16 and 20. I'll use 18 for my calculations. If you subtract those 18 years from the life expectancies and then run the equation it puts the year ratio at 2.03 to 1 for witches and 2.45 to 1 for wizards for each year after 18."

The way she crinkled her brows as she did the extremely complex calculations in her head fascinated him.

He was also stunned by the depth to which she had gone with this theory, and honestly was beginning to see the value of her logic.

"So," she continued, entirely unaware of the effect she was having on him, "in muggle years you are 39 and I am 20, but in wizard years you are roughly 26 and I am... well I'm still 20."

As much as he had been following her up to this point, he didn't see how that could be right.

"How is it that you're still 20? By your own proposed theory you should be 19."

"Well, if I was a normal witch I would be, but I have to add an extra year to my age based on the length and number of times I used the time turner in my third year."

This witch was going to be the death of him.

"You have an answer for everything don't you?"

She stilled and the helplessness that flashed in her eyes was piercing. She spoke her next words so softly he almost missed them.

"Not everything."

He sat, silently, waiting to see if she would elaborate on that statement, not knowing if he wanted her to or not. She bit her lip for a moment before seeming to come to a decision. Her eyes lifted to meet his.

"I have no answer for why my heart insists on beating faster whenever you're near. Why I can't look at you anymore without wondering what it would be like to be held in your arms. Why I find myself wanting the intensity in your eyes to be focused solely on me. Why my admiration for you has staunchly refused to return to being professional." She paused for a moment, taking a deep breath. "Or why logically thinking about all of the reasons it's crazy to love a man who thinks nothing of you doesn't dispel any of it."

XXX

Hermione knew she should have kept her mouth shut.

He sat perfectly still, no doubt completely shocked by her declaration and now trying to figure out how to get her out of his office. She turned to leave and had almost made it to the door before it slammed shut.

She stopped, a small glimmer of hope beginning to grow, but she couldn't bring herself to turn around.

"If you think you can say something like that to me and then just walk away you are sorely mistaken." His voice was directly behind her and she spun to face him.

That intensity she had been wishing for was most assuredly directed at her now. Her breath caught at the sparks that were flashing in his eyes.

"It is my supreme pleasure to inform you that you are wrong."

She sputtered for a moment, thinking he meant that she didn't love him. She opened her mouth to protest his assumption that he knew better than her what she felt, but froze when he pressed his finger to her lips.

"I think quite a few things about you."

_Oh. _

"I think you're brilliant. Your intellect simply amazes me most days. I think you're brave. Many wizards would have cracked under the strain of constant danger you lived in, but you never faltered. I think you're kind. Unfailingly so. Your genuine concern for everyone around you is astounding. If you were anyone else I would think it was a trick, but your nature does not run to such things." He pulled his finger away from her lips and clenched his fists by his sides. "And quite unsettlingly, I think you are the most tempting witch I have ever met. Never in my life have I been so completely captivated by the color of a woman's eyes, the shape of her mouth, the way she moves. You've been driving me fairly insane."

Hermione had to remind herself to breathe.

_He wants me. _

Desire was evident in his eyes and the tense way he held his jaw so she was a little surprised that when he leaned closer, instead of kissing her as she expected, he reached around her to open the door, leaving it slightly ajar.

"What's left of my honor demands I give you this one chance to run." Hermione didn't move. "Think carefully before you make this choice, Hermione. If you leave now I will never mention this day again and we can go on as we were, but if you stay... I am most assuredly keeping you. No matter how much better off I know you would be without me I will not be able to let you go once I let myself consider you to be mine."

Hermione backed up a step, closing the door with her body.

"There will never be anyone else I wish to belong to."

As soon as the words left her lips he was there. His mouth consumed her surprised cry of pleasure as she finally found herself where she wanted to be, in his arms. He pressed her firmly against his solid frame and it was even better than she had imagined. She felt her feet leave the ground and he walked them back towards his desk, the contents sent flying as soon as they got near. She shivered as she realized his intent, thinking of the dream that had been assaulting her repeatedly involving this very desk.

He set her down on the edge and broke their kiss to look down at her. The sight of her slightly tousled form perched on his desk started his blood to boil. He needed her to be wearing less clothing. As if reading his thoughts, she held his gaze as she loosened her tie and pulled it over her head. His eyes dipped as she reached up to start unbuttoning her shirt. With each button, another tempting inch of flesh was revealed and he was riveted to the sight. When she reached the bottom and pulled the shirt from her shoulders, the lacy red scrap of a bra she was wearing caused his mouth to go dry and that was the end of his control.

He pressed between her thighs and pulled her fully against him as he re claimed her mouth. Their hands frantically pulling at clothing as they devoured each other until they both managed to get undressed. He gripped a handful of her hair and tilted her head to the side to give his lips better access as they trailed down her throat. The small sounds of pleasure escaping her drove him on and he bent his head further to take a deliciously budded nipple into his mouth. Her back arched as she cried out, one of her hands clutched in his hair while the other went to the desk behind her to grant her some leverage.

He continued his attentions until she was writhing beneath his mouth and pleas tumbled from her lips. His head lifted and he held her gaze as he slid one of his hands down between their bodies.

The moment his fingertips came into contact with her core she felt her release teetering toward the brink. She needed him inside of her. _Now. _Before he could continue tormenting her she reached down and took him in her hand. The sharp intake of breath told her she'd gotten his attention. When she shifted forward on the desk and alined them his eyes closed on a groan and she had to struggle to get out her next words.

"No more teasing, Severus. Please."

She felt his fingers dig into her hips just before he pushed into her fully with one hard thrust. The sudden fullness was exquisite and exactly what she wanted. When he repeated his motion a second, then a third time she flew over the edge.

He was shaking as he watched her come apart in his arms, the way her muscles were clamping around him testing every facet of his control. He kissed her throat, nibbling and sucking until he could feel her responses building again and then pressed her down so she was laying across the desk. Her arms went above her head to grip the edge as he began slowly moving in her again. The sight of her spread out on his desk for his pleasure, hair tumbling over the side, soft mewling sounds coming from her throat as her desire increased was his undoing. She cried out his name as his thrusts came faster and harder until they both exploded.

XXX

She was not going to let him run from this. Not this time.

Ginny followed Draco down the hall and into the abandoned classroom she'd seen him duck into. She saw him stiffen at the sound of her locking the door as he lifted his eyes to meet hers, and then an unnatural stillness swept over him giving him the air of a deadly predator.

"Stop it, Ginny. You have no idea what you are tempting."

"I am actually perfectly aware that I'm tempting _you_. I've been doing it on purpose for a while now."

His stillness cracked and he advanced swiftly, stopping just inches from her body and towering over her. His intimidation didn't phase her. She stood defiantly staring up at him, a small triumphant smile on her face.

"Damn it, Ginny this isn't a game," He stormed, "It's dangerous. I'm not the fairytale hero you seem bent on making me out to be."

Her gaze turned serious.

"You think I don't know who you are?"

He turned away from her, putting some distance between them. "If you had any idea the things I've done, you would not be standing here."

She studied him for a moment, taking that in. He truly believed it. It was time to disabuse him of the notion. "I know exactly who you are," she said softly, "I know how much you care even though you do everything in your power to convince people otherwise. I know you secretly like when Hermione spontaneously attacks you with hugs. I know you help Neville with his potions assignments by sneaking anonymous notes into his bag before class. I know you were the money behind that orphanage that opened for kids who lost their parents in the war. I know you send my mother flowers on Mother's Day." She paused, walking towards him, closing the gap he had created. "I know you condemn yourself for doing what is necessary."

He stilled again before turning to face her, the question he would not utter burning in his eyes.

"You think I don't know what you did to those men who attacked me? What you've done to others like them?" She shook her head at his ignorance. "I've known since the moment I saw the article in the Daily Prophet about their sudden demise who was behind it. I could see their deaths in your eyes that day before you bent to pick me up off the ground." She saw him try to retreat behind his mask but she wouldn't allow it. "And I was glad."

His eyes flared with shock and the beginnings of that wretched mask fell away.

"For the first time in my life I was happy that it wasn't Harry who'd come to save me." His expression turned conflicted, as if he couldn't decide whether he wanted to listen to the rest of her statement or not.

"Don't mistake me. Harry is a great man. He's all that is good and kind and honorable. The world needs him to provide them with hope, to give them someone to look up to. He would never have killed those men and people love him for that."

She pushed her feelings into her eyes, trying to make him see what she couldn't bring herself to say.

"But the world needs men like you too. Men who take it upon themselves to clean up the filth none of the rest of them want to see. I felt safe in your arms that day in a way I would never have felt with Harry because I knew what you were capable of. You killed those men when he would have let them live and because of that I am grateful. Do you know how many lives you saved that day by taking those four? How many girls will never know fear the way I did because you had the strength to act? Those men would never have stopped, and our justice system is far too easily swayed by greed to be trusted for something that important. You do what is necessary, and because of people like you the rest of the world sleeps a little safer at night. Some people don't understand that, but I do."

She took a deep breath before continuing.

"You aren't the fairytale hero, but that was never what I wanted. Even when I was little I didn't want Snow White to end up with the prince. What did he really do for her except walk up and kiss her? I always liked the huntsman. He was supposed to be the bad guy but he risked his life to save her, making him far more heroic in my eyes." She paused, basking in the wealth of emotion that encompassed his face. "So no, you aren't the fairytale hero. But you're the hero I want."

Hope, desire and torment battled for supremacy in his eyes and Ginny held her breath as she waited for him to make his decision. His hand lifted as if to reach for her... and dropped. Without a word, he turned and stalked from the room, leaving Ginny standing alone, clutching what was left of her heart.

XXX

**Author's Note: Stop giving me the evil eye! I'm not going to leave her like that I promise! **

**Oh, and for those of you wondering, yes I did actually do that age calculation (although I used a calculator and a two pages of my notebook, I'm not as gifted as Hermione) I looked up the life expectancies for men and women in the US (yes I know the characters aren't in the US but it was a bit easier to find and a lot easier than having to look up all of the pertinent countries in Europe and averaging them out) and then using guess and check I figured out what the life expectancy ratio of muggle to wizard would have to be so that it would suit my needs. I wanted them to be closer in age but also not have one of them greatly outlive the other. I know, I'm weird. I was one of those rare hybrids in high school of cheerleader and math nerd. I shocked a lot of people.**

**Most of you should just stop reading this now and go on to the next chapter but for those of you who are curious about the actual equation I used here it is: **

**I took the muggle life expectancy and plugged in a number I thought might work to use as the muggle/wizard life expectancy ratio. For this example I will use the number I settled on after many different run throughs of 2.1 for wizards and we'll do Snape's age. If you take the male muggle life expectancy of 74.8 and multiply it by 2.1 that would give you the wizard life expectancy of 157.1 From there I subtracted the first 18 years of life from both the muggle and the wizard life expectancy and got 56.8 and 139.1 If you divide 139.1 by 56.8 you get 2.45 as the ratio for all years after 18. Then taking Snape's actual age of 39 and subtracting the first 18 years of life gives you 21. You then divide 21 by the ratio of years after 18 which we just discovered was 2.45 and you get 8.6 Then you have to add back his first 18 years and you get his age in wizard years of 26.6 For those of you who think I'm a little crazy for doing this: you're right. But where's the fun in being normal?**


	4. The Decisions

"Severus!" A loud voice followed by incessant knocking interrupted the sated bliss Hermione was enjoying still sprawled across her lover's desk.

"Severus, I need to talk to you." _Draco._

"Crap!" Hermione squealed and shot upright. "I have to hide!"

Snape would have been offended if he didn't know it was simply her nature and not a reflection of any embarrassment of their relationship that caused her reluctance to be caught in this position. Still, he couldn't resist needling her.

"As I plan on making this a regular occurrence, I'm pretty sure they're going to figure it out eventually."

He loved the fire that flashed in her eyes just before she set to unleash a cleverly worded remark when she was provoked. It had amused him to no end watching his godson on the wrong end of her tongue over the years.

"I'm aware of that, Severus, but I would really rather tell people with my vocabulary instead of a pictograph, and I would also rather not be naked at the time. However, if you think Draco seeing me without my clothing is a good idea, then by all means keep standing there smirking at me instead of helping."

He hid his smile and wondered if it was possible to render her completely incoherent. That was a rather intriguing challenge, and one he would surely ponder all through the afternoon's lessons.

"All right," He waved his hand and a panel in the wall shimmered before disappearing, revealing a small compartment. She eyed him questioningly. "I never saw the need to bother removing it after the war."

"Thank you." She leaned in to kiss him before jumping from the desk and tucking herself into the hiding place. He sealed it with another wave and, knowing she could see out even though he couldn't see in, continued to contain his amusement. He quickly dressed and set his desk back in order before opening the door to admit Draco. The scathing remark he'd planned died in his throat at the sight of his usually stoic godson.

His hair was disheveled, as if he'd been pulling at it, his tie was loose, and he was even more pale than usual. But it was his eyes that really spoke to the magnitude of his despair. He recognized that look of tormented longing well.

Draco blew into the room and began pacing. Snape just waited, knowing whatever was about to come wouldn't be easy.

"I need your word that nothing I say will leave this room."

"Of course."

The pacing stopped.

"I'm in love with Ginny Weasley."

Snape heard a small "Ha!" come from the wall, but Draco thankfully seemed not to notice as the pacing resumed.

"That maddening bloody redhead made me fall in love with her and now I'm a complete wreck!" Draco exploded. "She seems completely unaware of the consequences and keeps tempting me to do something she'd definitely regret. I have no idea where my self control goes to whenever she pulls one of those damn female tricks that never worked on me before, but I'm at the end of my rope." His teeth clenched. "She actually walked out of the bath wearing nothing but a _towel_ the other day and I just about died. She spent an entire class period this morning finding every seemingly innocuous way to touch me imaginable. And just now she had the nerve to tell me that she doesn't care that I'm a bloody killer, she wants me anyway!" He gestured wildly before continuing. "She spouted all kinds of nonsense about how my killing those men who attacked her saved other girls' lives, and while I admit that the thought did cross my mind afterward and it prompted my judgement when dealing with other wretched excuses for wizards, that wasn't why I killed those four." He paused and a deadly aura began to seep from him at the memory. "Those filthy lowlifes beat her. _Touched her. _The rage that consumed me that day wouldn't be appeased any other way and the only part of it I regret is that I can't do it again. _That's_ what kind of man I am. And she says she's glad. How the hell am I supposed to fight against that?"

Draco was breathing heavily, agitation pouring from him with every step.

"You're not."

His godson stopped suddenly, turning to face him.

"Damn it, Severus, I came here for help, which should indicate my level of desperation, not to have you take her side."

"I'm sorry, but I have recently come to the conclusion that women are rather impossible to reason with, even when it is for their own good. They are especially uncooperative and stubborn when it comes to the subject of love and it would be in your best interests to just give in."

Draco eyed him speculatively, then turned his gaze to scan the rest of the room, settling on something next to the desk.

"Ah, I see." Draco drawled, a bit of his usual personality showing through his distress, "So where is she?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Well, unless you've taken to cross dressing, I'm talking about the girl you've just been with. Honestly, Godfather, next time you try to hide a lover you really should hide her clothes as well."

_Damn. _"I'll try to keep that in mind."

"Well, I obviously interrupted something important so I'll leave you to it." Draco made his way to the door but stopped at his name being called.

"Think about what I said and ask yourself this. Are you sure enough of the fact that she would be better off without you to cause her the pain that comes from loving someone who refuses to love her back?"

The horrified look that crossed Draco's face attested to the fact that that thought had never occurred to him.

"Oh for Merlin's sake, Draco, of course she loves you. Can you think of any other reason a woman would so easily accept the parts of us we can't even accept ourselves?"

"I didn't... I just thought she... oh _bloody hell_."

Snape watched Draco storm from the room and wished him luck.

He turned to release Hermione from the wall and found she'd already figured out the trick herself.

"How did you-? Never mind, I forgot who I was talking to." The sight of her standing naked in his office was affecting his brain.

She smiled triumphantly and he had to remind himself that there definitely wasn't time for what he was thinking.

"I knew he loved her! I have to tell Ginny." She walked towards the door and he couldn't hide his amusement any longer. He stopped her with a pointed clearing of his throat.

"Just a suggestion, but since you were so adamant about your clothes earlier I though you might want to put them on before you go galavanting through the castle playing matchmaker."

Her eyes went wide and he discovered that her charming blush not only went to the roots of her hair but also spread temptingly across her chest.

She rushed back toward the desk and he couldn't resist catching her around the waist and pulling her to him. The way her breath caught and her eyes lit with desire as her bare skin came into contact with his fully clothed form was addictive. He knew he would never tire of seeing that look.

"On second thought," he said softly as he bent to press kisses along the column of her throat, "I think I like you the way you are."

She shivered in his arms and he reveled in his newfound power to affect her this way. Just as he lifted his head to capture her lips the alarm that signaled the end of the lunch period sounded. They both groaned as he released her and she blushed again before stooping to pick up her clothes.

After she'd dressed he helped her adjust her tie and she cast a quick charm to tame the wild mess he'd made of her hair. Her motions grew a bit strained as she ran out of things to fix and a nervous tension filled the air as he watched her struggle to decide whether or not to ask him the question burning in her mind. He waited, silently and she didn't disappoint him.

"Did... did you mean what you said? About wanting me around for more than just a little while?"

He was astounded at the way such a brilliant female could so completely miss what he thought he'd made glaringly clear.

"I don't believe I said I 'wanted you around'" He saw her stiffen and he tucked his fingers under her chin to tilt her head up, forcing her to meet his eyes so she would not have cause to doubt him again. "I'm pretty sure I warned you that if you allowed me to take you as my own that I would be keeping you. There is nothing so simple as wanting you involved in my feelings."

The hope that lit her eyes convinced him she truly needed him to say the words.

"Hermione, I love you. From your brilliant mind to your ridiculously painted toenails, I couldn't imagine a witch better suited to my pleasure. As you are already wearing my ring I see no reason not to make it official. And for future reference I never say anything I don't mean anymore. I got rather tired of it over the years."

He barely had time to enjoy her smile before she threw herself in his arms and kissed him with such passion his brain started to go slightly fuzzy around the edges.

"I'll take that as a yes then."

The bell that signaled class had begun sounded and her eyes went wide. He really didn't think she had ever been late to a class in her entire life and he was vastly amused that she could still find it in her to care under the current circumstances.

"Relax, Miss Granger," he tried and failed to hide his smile, "I believe since it is my class you are currently late for, you might get off with a warning."

XXX

Draco sat in the back of the dungeon, waiting with the rest of the class for the unusually late professor. He hadn't been able to make it back to Ginny before the bell rang and had only come to class because he expected to be able to catch her there. As it was now five minutes after the lesson had begun, he suspected she wasn't going to show. He got to his feet to slip out just as the door to Snape's office opened and he groaned at his timing.

"You have exactly fifty five minutes to produce a passable Black Fire Potion." Snape's voice rang out, silencing the classroom. He made no mention of his late entrance and no one was dumb enough to bring it up. "It would be in your best interest to improve upon your normal performance in this class as you will be using your potion in your Defense Against the Darks Arts class later today."

Draco saw Neville gulp as he sat back down, and offhandedly sent a few tips flying through the air to write themselves across his notebook. Ginny thought he was just being nice but in truth he owed a debt of gratitude to Neville Longbottom that he couldn't ever possibly repay.

It had been Neville who'd contacted them when the snatchers had taken Ginny. The formerly rather useless Gryffindor had broken through all of Granger's protective wards in his desperation, bearing the brunt of some of her more formidable curses to get to them. For that alone, Draco would lay down his life. A couple of potions notes were nothing.

As he sat pondering his quandary, he though maybe it was a good thing he would be stuck here for the next hour. He needed time to think of what he was going to say when he found her.

The door to the classroom opened and he turned, expecting to see the cause of his torment; but instead found a very flustered looking Granger, hurrying to one of the only empty seats. Which happened to be right next to him.

"Sorry I'm late Professor." Something about the tone in which she said that implied a definite lack of sincerity and he turned to his godfather, a suspicion forming in his mind he tried to push out as insane. When Snape simply nodded in acceptance of her tardiness the suspicion grew.

He turned back to study Hermione. He took in the recently applied smoothing charm on her hair and put it together with the blush that was creeping over her features and the fact that he'd definitely seen a Gryffindor tie in that pile of clothing near Severus's desk. His shock exploded from him before he could stop it.

"Holy blistering hell, Granger! No wonder he was spouting all that tripe about women not listening to sense!"

Her eyes grew to the size of saucers and the entire classroom turned to look at them questioningly.

"Mr. Malfoy, if you cannot refrain from such outrageous outbursts in my classroom you will find yourself in an inordinate amount of trouble." Snape's voice had regained it's icy menace and the look in his eyes said very clearly how foolish it would be to further upset the woman next to him.

"Sorry, Sir," Draco tried to sound convincingly contrite, "I'll do my best to contain myself."

"See that you do." A wave of his hand had everyone's chairs sliding back to a forward facing position and only one person ignored the silent reprimand to mind their own business and get back to work. Potter looked at Granger as if to question her further but her head was very determinately focused on her desk. His gaze turned to Draco but he merely smirked, knowing it would drive the other man crazy.

"Well," she said under her breath as she started gathering the ingredients for their potion, "thank you for that horribly embarrassing episode. Honestly, I would have thought you'd have more decorum than that."

He could do nothing but stare at her.

"Oh, I'm sorry," he sniped, "Next time I find out my _godfather_ is _banging_ my _best friend_ I'll try to keep my shock to a smaller outburst."

He saw the moment her outrage at his vulgar language bled away as she caught his verbal slip and he cursed under his breath. This was something else he would blame on Ginny. She smiled brightly for a moment and he knew he was doomed.

"I'm never letting you take that back," she said smugly before raising one eyebrow in a mocking expression, "and by the way, I managed much better than you when I found out that one of my_ best friends_ was in love with another."

_Damn. _He hadn't completely thought through the implications of her being the mystery lover in Severus' office.

"Granger you have to promise me that you'll keep what you heard to yourself."

She scoffed. "Why on earth would I do that? Someone needs to tell her and it seems you aren't going to."

He buried his hands in his hair in frustration. "I am."

She looked at him warily, as if trying to decided if he was serious or just placating her.

"I'm telling the truth. God knows why, but if she loves me then I'm damn well going to take advantage of it. I just need some time to figure out how I'm going to fix what I've done." His head hung in a very uncharacteristic show of shame as he contemplated the damage he'd caused. "I just walked away from her. She's going to be furious at me and she deserves something more than a simple 'I'm sorry' so please, just keep this between us for now all right?"

A small smile proceeded her answer.

"A grand gesture from the Slytherin Prince? I think I can keep my mouth shut to see that."

XXX


	5. The Grand Gesture and Dumbledore's Part

**Author's Note: Last chapter! =) I just wanted to let you know that I took liberties with the Romanian word flacăra which means 'flame' and turned it into a term of endearment that I imagine means 'little flame'. I twisted reality a little bit to make that work for me and thought I'd better let you in on the madness =)**

**XXX**

Ginny didn't know how long she sat crying on the floor of that classroom, but the sun was beginning to set as she finally picked herself up.

_No more tears._

She had done everything she could and it still wasn't enough, so she vowed that after she left that room she would not let her emotions betray her. The last thing she wanted was for him to know how thoroughly he had destroyed her.

She made her way back to the common room and stood at the staircase debating going to dinner versus curling up in her bed. She really didn't want to do anything that going to dinner entailed, but she also didn't want her absence to be noticed and asked about. It was already going to be bad enough since she'd missed the afternoon's classes. Her decision was made for her when Hermione came walking down the stairs and spotted her.

"Ginny! There you are, I've been looking everywhere for you." Her friend's smile was a little too bright but she really didn't have the mental strength to ponder the cause. "Come on, you really don't want to miss dinner tonight."

She thought that comment a bit odd but still couldn't muster the energy to contemplate it for long. She simply acquiesced to Hermione's request and began following her to the great hall.

The sight that greeted her when she got there took her breath away.

Every inch of table space was covered with vases full of flowers. And not just any flowers. All of her favorites.

It looked like someone had taken every kind of flower she grew in her garden at home and bought the entire wizarding world out of each of them.

Hermione was fairly beaming now and Ginny looked around the room trying to find the cause of all of this madness. The entire student body, minus the Slytherins who honestly looked as shocked as she did, were smiling at her in the same strange way Hermione was. When she saw her parents and all of her brothers standing in the corner she knew the flowers couldn't be a coincidence. Her mother waved at her happily and looked as if she was about to cry.

"Hermione, what the hell is going on?"

Her friend didn't answer, just backed away with that maddening smile on her face and went to stand next to Snape of all people who, instead of shifting away from the close proximity, actually seemed to lean closer. _I must have fallen asleep in that classroom, because there is no way this is can be an accurate portrayal of reality._

Her thoughts were only further confirmed in her mind as the answer she'd been seeking from Hermione came from behind her, in that silky destructive voice she'd come to crave.

"Ginny, do you love me?"

She whirled to face him and actually reached down and pinched herself. The pain was the only thing about this whole situation that indicated it was actually happening. Her level of disbelief wasn't allowing her to process his question.

"Wh- what?"

"Do you love me? Before I go any further with this excruciating display I need to know." Her heart twisted at the hope she could see breaking through his mask as he awaited her answer and she didn't even try to hide the truth.

"Yes."

The breath she hadn't noticed he was holding left him in a rush before he turned and climbed up to stand on the nearest tabletop.

"I am standing here before you, in the middle of this appallingly colorful field of flowers, in front of everyone we know to ask for something I don't deserve. I hurt you today, and I know now that I've been hurting you for quite a while in my stupidity. I can't promise I'll never again fall victim to future bouts of said stupidity, but I can promise to always do everything in my power to make it up to you."  
An extra pinch reassured her that yes, Draco Malfoy was actually standing on top of a table, making a public declaration of his feelings. For her.

"I'm usually not much for grand gestures but I will stand on every tabletop in London if that's what it takes to convince you that I'm sincere. It took me far too long to realize it and even longer to accept it but here it is. I love you. I thought you would be better off without me, and that I could will away this infernal feeling but I was wrong. No matter what I did, that one part of me I couldn't control kept screaming that you were mine. Every time I looked at you it told me to claim you, and tell the rest of the world they could go sod off if they didn't like it. So here I am, doing the one thing a Malfoy is trained never to do... listening to my bloody heart."

He climbed down from the table and came to stand in front of her. Tears were streaming down her face and he took one of her hands in his.

She thought her shock could not be eclipsed... until he dropped to one knee.

"Ginevra Molly Weasley, will you bestow upon me an honor I know I don't deserve and agree to be mine for the rest of our, according to Granger, unnaturally long lives?"

She was already nodding before he'd even finished his sentence. After slipping a ring on her finger containing a diamond that would rival an ice rink; she saw an unguarded, genuine smile light up his face, and she was spellbound.

The forgotten crowd whooped and cheered as he stood to take her in his arms, spinning her around. As soon as her feet touched the ground they were suddenly surrounded by her family.

Her mother was weeping openly now and had pulled Draco into a hug. "Oh, you wonderful boy! Bless you for letting us be here for this. I nearly died when you flooed earlier to tell us your plan, and the boys came from all over just as soon as they could." She let go of Draco to wrap her arms around Ginny and the weeping increased.

"Of course we did," Fred snorted, "We wouldn't dream of missing seeing Draco Malfoy, Slytherin's poster boy, brought low by our very own baby sister. It was epic."

George clapped Draco on the back good naturedly. "Don't feel too bad about it mate. She has an uncanny ability to always get what she wants. Been boggling us for years."

Her father shook Draco's hand and nodded in approval. "Welcome to the family."

"Thank you, sir."

She pulled out of her mother's arms to watch Ron approach and held her breath. Her youngest brother eyed Draco speculatively for a long moment and she feared she would shortly have to break up a fight. Ron and Draco just had never managed to stop antagonizing each other. But today seemed to be the day for men to surprise her. Ron offered his hand and Draco took it.

"That was a rather spectacular display, Malfoy."

"I though so."

"Hurt my sister and you won't live to regret it." Ron said but the normal animosity was missing.

"Understandable threat, Weasley, but thoroughly unrealistic. A flobberworm would be a more challenging opponent than you."

Ginny shook her head as both men nodded in some sort of strange male understanding that their relationship wouldn't have to change too drastically because they would soon be family.

The well wishers surrounded them and as much as the grand display he'd arranged took her breath away, at that moment she almost wished he'd made his proposal in private. She wanted him alone, pressed up against her and showing her how he felt in another way.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Fred slip something into Draco's pocket and bend to say something in his ear. Her future husband's smile was decidedly wicked as he nodded his thanks to her brother and met her eyes across the crowd.

Suddenly, darkness prevailed through the hall and a few screams rang out. She felt a tug on her hand and followed, instinctively knowing his touch. They made it out the door just as the Peruvian darkness powder wore off and she could hear the confusion from the hallway.

"Where did they go?" Her mother.

"Honestly, woman, where do you think they went? How many children do you have?" George.

She clapped her hand over her mouth to contain her giggles as he pulled her into the nearest classroom but her laughter died as she turned to face him.

She took in the desire raging in his eyes and a sudden tightening of her stomach smothered it. Anticipation poured through her and he saw the moment her amusement turned to wanting.

He needed no further encouragement.

In an instant he had her pressed up against the wall, his mouth claiming hers with all the pent up lust he'd carried with him for a year. She couldn't think, couldn't breath, the force of his passion consuming her so that she could do nothing but feel. The hard length of his body was pressed fully against the softness of hers and the feeling of being held up against the wall, helpless to escape, didn't frighten her as she thought it might.

She reveled in it. Because it was him who was holding her.

She'd often dreamed about being tied to his bed and had wondered how she would actually handle such a situation. Now she knew she would love it.

He broke their kiss and she whimpered slightly, trying to pull him back. His dark chuckle sent a shiver shooting through her core.

"Patience, flacăra, I have plans for you." The seductive tone of his voice resonated against her throat just before he scraped his teeth against her pulse point. She jerked in his arms and then melted as he swirled his tongue over the faint mark.

"I want to learn every way to make you respond to me." His lips pressed light kisses to the skin behind her ear and she shivered.

"How to make you tremble in my arms."

It was as if her body followed his wishes as he began unbuttoning her shirt.

"How to make your breathing falter."

Her breath caught as he trailed a finger over the swell of her breast tracing the edge of her bra.

"How to make you moan."

He pulled the scrap of lace aside, baring her to his gaze and blew on the budded peak, driving a low sound from her throat.

"How to make you scream for me."

His mouth was suddenly surrounding the sensitized bud, pulling strongly and she cried out. His tongue circled her nipple as his hand slid under her skirt and up her thigh. When she widened her stance to give him better access he had to clamp down hard on his control. His fingers traced small circles in time with his tongue as he slowly made his way to her center. She was writhing under his mouth and hand by the time he made it to his destination. He felt the slick evidence of her desire as his fingers pushed aside her knickers and slid slowly into her core.

All thoughts of slow seduction flew out the window as his name tumbled from her lips on a broken cry.

His hold on his control snapped and he ripped away the lacy scrap covering his prize. In the next instant he'd freed himself and grabbed the back of her thigh, pulling her leg up to wrap around his hip. When his hard length came into contact with her soft heat he thought he would die from the pleasure. He looked down into her eyes as he thrust into her and the sound she made as he claimed her would be branded into his memory forever.

Sparks flared behind her eyelids as her eyes slipped closed in pleasure. She tilted her hips in time with his thrusts, begging him for more and he complied. His fierce possession quickly took her to the edge of madness and threw her over. A moment later she heard his harsh groan and he stilled as his pleasure overtook him as well. They slid to the floor, still wrapped around each other, breathing heavily, hearts pounding and Ginny was awestruck by the feeling of completion she found in his arms.

"Now," he panted against her hair, "you belong to me."

A tired smile curled her lips.

"I've always belonged to you."

XXX

Dumbledore sat at the teacher's table in the great hall, surveying the merry revelry that surrounded him. He had turned dinner into a little celebration for the newly engaged couple, even thought they were still nowhere to be found and he strongly suspected no one would see them until morning.

Nevertheless, everyone else was enjoying themselves in their honor. Most, but not all, of the wonderful flowers had been removed to make room for food; and the house tables, after being covered in a buffet type spread, had been pushed to the sides. This accomplished two things that pleased him. House mingling and dancing.

From his seat he could see Severus extending his hand to Miss Granger for a waltz, which sent the room into a state of silent shock that soon turned to a hushed frenzy of gossip as she accepted. They moved perfectly together and neither really seemed to notice the turmoil they were creating.

"What on earth! Albus do you see-?" Professor McGonagall started to exclaim.

His smile of self satisfaction must have set off her... _what was it the muggle born students had called it? Oh yes..._ 'spidey sense' as she was currently eyeing him with shrewd suspicion.

"Why do you seem not only unsurprised by that shocking display but also look so thoroughly pleased with yourself, Albus?"

"I'm just happy with the way things have settled, Minerva. Severus and Miss Granger, young Mr. Malfoy and Miss Weasley. They really are perfectly suited and I'm glad they finally figured that out is all."

Her eyebrow raised in a clear indication that she didn't believe a word.

"I know you much better than that Albus, and if you honestly think I'm going to buy that load of tripe then you don't know me very well at all."

"Oh, I had a little something to do with it, but really it was nothing. Just a few charms here and there and voila! Two happy couples."

Her eyes widened and she looked the picture of outrage.

"Albus you used love charms on students? On Severus?"

"Of course not Minerva, that would be highly unethical."

The tense set of her shoulders relaxed slightly. "Please explain yourself, Albus."

His smile returned, larger than before. "It was quite inspired really, if I do say so myself. With Severus and Miss Granger I used a charm I am quite fond of, although I only needed to use it on him. Hermione proved to be much quicker to catch on to their obvious fate. She really is the brightest witch of almost any age."

At this point he stopped to wink at a still stern faced McGonagall before continuing.

"All it took for her was to send her looking for Severus one day this summer when I knew she would find him in a decidedly different manner than she was used to. Severus proved more stubborn, although that didn't surprise me in the least. I simply slipped an eye opening charm into Miss Granger's bag on the first day of school." He watched her face lose its disapproving expression as that bit of information set in.

"You mean he-?"

"Oh yes, quite." Dumbledore said merrily. "Thoroughly taken with her, but so very set against even the idea of opening up that he'd blocked it entirely. So you see, it was completely harmless. If he hadn't felt anything for her he would have had some other great revelation that day when she walked into his class. I simply opened his eyes to his own feelings. Useful little charms those, I use them quite often to remember things that have become buried in my mind."

"All right, Albus, I admit that while definitely meddlesome, that was as you said, harmless. But what did you do to Mr. Malfoy and Miss Weasley?"

Dumbledore's smile took on an amused slant. "Now those two actually took me by surprise. I used a dream share charm on them and the results were astounding. I intended to just give them glimpses of each others' dreams to show them that they might have similar feelings. Again perfectly harmless, since if I was wrong they would have each just had a slightly strange dream that didn't make much sense to them. People have those all the time." His eyes twinkled. "I did not expect their dreams to so closely resemble each other that they would actually merge- Now don't look at me like that Minerva, I most certainly did not spy on their dreams."

She closed her mouth, halting the words that were about to fly out and humphed.

"I enchanted a stone to act as an indicator as to weather or not they did, in fact, dream of each other. If their dreams had been unrelated the stone would have turned blue. If their dreams involved each other, as I suspected, the stone would have turned green. The stone did neither of those things. It, in fact, turned red which means they shared the _exact same dream. _Even I had not predicted that, but I can't say I wasn't pleased. And as you can see," he indicated the party, "it has all worked out quite nicely."

Minerva shook her head at his antics. "This time. Honestly Albus, why must you interfere in everything?"

He took his wife's hand under the table. "I just want everyone to be as happy as we are, dear." The small tilting of her lips she couldn't suppress meant he was safe from her ire. His self satisfied smile returned. Life was indeed wonderful today.

XXX


End file.
